As posted on the American Library Associations website, Banned Books Week (BBW) is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read, and the importance of the First Amendment - something that is all too near and dear to my heart.
The list of banned books is long - and grows longer every year. And we all know some of the classics on it:
- THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK by Anne Frank: Challenged in the Culpeper County, VA. public schools because it was believed to include sexual material and homosexual themes.
- THE CATCHER IN THE RYE by J.D. Salinger: Challenged (but retained) in the Martin County, Florida school district because of a parent's concern over inappropriate language.
- SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE by Kurt Vonnegut: Challenged in Republic, MO. schools because it was considered "soft-pornography" and contained "glorified drinking, cursing, and premarital sex."
But in recent years, several new books (and many of my favorites!) have been challenged:
THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins: The Goffstown, N.H. school board challenged this title last year, because a parent claimed it gave her eleven-year-old nightmares and could numb other students to the effects of violence.
TWENTY BOY SUMMER by Sarah Ockler: Challenged in the Republic, MO. school district for the exact same reasons they challenged SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE.
THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART TIME INDIAN by Sherman Alexie: National Book Award Winnter, banned in Stockton, MO. school district last year because of violence, language, and some sexual content.
In an effort to recognize Banned Books week, the lovely ladies over at I Read Banned Books and I Am A Reader, Not A Writer are hosting a Banned Books Giveaway Hop, which I've decided to particpate in this year!
The giveaway will run from Saturday, September 24th - Saturday, October 1st and I'll be announcing my winners on Sunday, October 2nd.
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And what's up for grabs? I'll be giving away 3 prizes!
#1 and #2: TWO lucky winners will receive:
$20 in banned or challenged books from The Book Depository. Each of the two winners will select $20 worth of books off the banned or challenged lists - you can find some of the titles here, here, here, and here.
#3: One lucky winner will receive:
A $15 Amazon.com gift card to use towards a banned or challenged book.
A few housekeeping rules:
PLEASE be honest with the boxes you're checking! Don't check BOTH the old and new follower boxes - you're either one or the other! And if you check that you've left a comment - then do so! You won't get extra points by checking boxes that aren't accurate!
- Giveaway is International. Note: Giveaway is open to anywhere the Book Depository or Amazon ships to. It is your responsibility to make sure the Book Depository or Amazon ships to your country.
- Winners must be 13 years or older (sorry, can't be getting into trouble with any parents!).
- You need to be a follower of my blog via Google Friend Connect to enter this contest.
- Only ONE entry per person (please don't use alternative email addresses to enter!).
- Fill out the form to be officially entered!
- Winners will be chosen via Random.org on Sunday, October 2, 2011 and announced here on my blog.
- For old followers, max number of entries is 10 (that means you follow me on Twitter, too!). For new followers (welcome!), max number of entries is 8.
- Winners will be ranked in first, second, and third place - first place winner will have their choice of which prize they want, then second place, then third will get whichever prize is left.
And don't forget: Please visit I Read Banned Books and I Am A Reader, Not A Writer to see all 257 participants - there are tons of great prizes up for grabs!!